And the 2012 YNaija Person of the Year Is… Ezekwesili, Okonjo-Iweala, Bakare, D’banj & more make the list!

It’s that time of the year when YNaija.com, the Internet Newspaper for Young Nigerians, chooses its Person of the Year. As always, following from the tradition of the TIME Person of the Year, the recognition is focused on the news-makers of the past 12 months, those who hugged the headlines and stirred the discourse.

With nominees carefully selected by YNaija panel of editors, readers will have the opportunity to vote that person who is worthy of the title. However the editors, taking the popular vote into advisement, will make the final decision.

The announcement of the selection for YNaija Person of the Year is on December 31, 2012. There will be no award given to the winner, and also no event The winner and the public will be officially notified of the selection, with an essay detailing rationale, impact and significance for the future.

The nominees are:

Davido: The self-styled ‘Omo Baba Olowo’, has made his mark, in such a short period of time running his Record Label, HKN Music, and striking music ‘collabos’ with the best in the music industry at home and abroad. At just age 20, his fame is sure to rise in the coming years.

Don Jazzy: Formerly the co-supremo at Mo’Hits Records and presently the helmsman of the MAVINS Record Label, he has done good for himself continuously hitting the mark and constantly delivering danceable beats.

Wizkid: Wizkid is a prominent member of the EME family. His voice and appeal to a wide variety of audience is undeniable. Wizkid, who shot into the music limelight with his song, ‘Holla at your boy‘has continued to grow, headlining sellout tours in the country, Europe and America.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala: This eclectic woman described by The Economist Magazine as the ‘Iron Lady’ is a world player in the economic and financial sense of the word. She is a renowned economist and presently Nigeria’s minister of finance and coordinating minister of the economy. In April, she became one of three candidates in the race to replace World Bank President Robert Zoellick.

Olusegun Mimiko: Following his feat in 2009 when he won the gubernatorial elections in Ondo State via the election tribunal, Governor Olusegun Mimiko did it again, this time via the ballot box when he won the October 20, 2012 election to continue in office for a second term.

Aliko Dangote: With his entrepreneurial savvy and consistence, Dangote has risen to become Africa’s richest man. Outside of government, the Dangote conglomerate is the highest employer of labour in the country. This year, Dangote opened a 6 million metric tonnes cement production plant in Ibeche.

Tunde Bakare: After losing out to the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2011 elections, Pastor Bakare has continued to be a voice of the opposition using his weekly sermon at the Latter Rain Assembly as a platform to speak against corruption, administrative recklessness, amidst many other issues.

Omoyemi Akerele: Featured on the New York Times, the Huffington Post, and CNN which described her as a “fashion pioneer,” Omoyemi Akerele’s desire to put Nigeria on the global fashion map led her to establish the Lagos Fashion and Design Week.

Barth Nnaji: Nnaji’s tenure as minister of power, though brief, managed to endear him to many Nigerians as one of the most popular power ministers ever. After his resignation, a public poll was conducted by an online newspaper and it was found that 64% of Nigerians disapproved of his ouster.

Dapo ’D’ banj’ Oyebanjo: D’banj joined the G.O.O.D Music crew owned by Grammy Award winning artiste, Kanye West, and has since then achieved many feats including sold out show appearances, topped charts, and won several awards to show that his success and that of his former partner, Don Jazzy doesn’t have to be inversely proportional.

Obiageli Ezekwesili: Her moral authority has become her calling card. This year, she successfully completed her stint as the World Bank Vice President Africa Division, a position to which she was appointed in 2007. As vice-president she was in charge of the bank’s operations in 48 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and supervised a lending portfolio of over $40 billion.

The Nigerian: For surviving against all odds, when the pump price of fuel was increased and packaged as a New Year’s gift, the future seemed bleak. But The Nigerian has come through. From bomb blasts, to air mishaps, to monumental fraud, The Nigerian not only survived but continues to believe in the country’s redemption.

To vote and to get more information on process and nominees, visit http://www.ynaija.com/ezekwesili-okonjo-iweala-bakare-dbanj-who-will-be-ynaija-person-of-the-year-2012-vote-now/ or follow YNaija on twitter via https://twitter.com/YNaija.